Bah Humbug!
by onethousandpairings
Summary: An alien at the North Pole? Santa needs a certain Time Lord's help to save Christmas... And the North Pole


Clara Oswald couldn't remember what the date was at anytime. The calendar that hung in her bedroom was useless but she still kept it hung up. But she knew what tomorrow was. Christmas Day!  
Her newly regenerated Doctor was sulking in the console room because she had made him put up decorations.

He was an older man this time with grey curly hair. His face was a little sunken in and wrinkled. his white button down shirt and black coat with red lining was a little baggy on his small frame. He looked so fragile but he was far from that.

With a bit of help from the TARDIS, Clara was able to convince him.  
Golden tinsel outlines the TARDIS doors. Green and read tinsel spiraled around the column in the middle of the console. Different color ornaments hung on the tree that sat on the floor to the right of the door. Clara made snowflakes out of paper and taped them to the railing. A wreath hung on every round thing that circled around the console room. It was a lovely sight, to Clara.  
Clara walked out of a corridor carrying a box full of more ornaments and 2 red Santa hats sitting on top.  
"Found another box! And look 2 Santa hats." Clara announced.  
The Doctor groaned.  
"Come on! Wear it. Don't be a grinch."  
TheDoctor was leaning on the console. He lowered his head and covered his head with his hands and groaned.  
Clara put the box down. She picked up the hats, put one on and then reached up and put the hat on the Doctor's head.  
"I found a bow tie ornament." Clara said.  
No response from the Doctor. Clara kept going on despite the Doctor's lack of communication. The only time when the Doctor lifted his head was when the TARDIS jolted.  
"Doctor?" Clara said nervously.  
"Probably nothing." The Doctor assured her. He grabbed the screen and stared at it.  
"We're latched on to a landing spot." The Doctor said. The screen started to fuzz up. The Doctor hit the screen with the palm of his hand.  
The TARDIS lurched forwards suddenly and they were plummeting towards their landing spot. The Doctor hung onto the console and Clara grabbed the railings.  
The crash never came. The jolting suddenly stopped.  
"Have we landed?" Clara asked.  
"I- I think so." The Doctor stuttered. He wobbled away from the console. He stammered over to the door and opened it. Clara followed  
It was snowing. The land was covered with a white blanket of snow.. They had landed in a snow bank. The stars shined in the night sky. A medium sized igloo sat a short distance away. There was a skinny pole that looked like a candy cane was sticking out of the top  
"Doctor?" A small squeaky voice said.

The Doctor looked around. There was no one there. He looked down and 2 people, standing no more over 4 ft, we're looking up at him with a jolly smile. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.  
"Yeah?" He said, annoyance filled his voice.  
"My name is Elijah and this is Terry. We're elves working in santa's workshop."  
The Doctor smirked. Clara elbowed him in the ribs and scolded him before bending down the the elves' height.  
"Hello." Clara said.  
"Hi. Santa needs you right away! Something terrible has happened!"  
"Well let's go then." Clara said.  
She follows the elves, grabbing the Doctor's hand and dragging him along.

the elves and the Doctor and his companion climbed on top of the igloo. They approached the pole that looked like a candy cane. He pushed a button and the ground began to sink. Clara and the Doctor were standing less then an inch from the edge. They jumped forward.

"Welcome to Santa's workshop." The elf called Terry said.

Instead of the workshop being filled with toys and elves, it was empty. Only machines.  
"Where is everyone?"  
"Hiding. When we hit the bottom, you will need to run. Just follow us." Elijah said.  
As soon as the platform landed the 2 elves sprinted off. They were fast for having short legs. The Doctor and Clara sprinted a little behind them. The Doctor had a hold of Clara's hand.  
There was a sudden screech in the distance. This caused Clara to run even faster, heart rate speeding up.  
The elves turned a corner, pushing a button. A big red and green door opened and they both ran in. As soon as the Doctor and Clara were in, the elves closed the door.  
The room was huge. The walls were, of course, green and red, and all the elves were bunched together like penguins. 6 reindeer stood in the back, elves holding them by the reins.

"What's going on? Why are you all gathered here?" The Doctor asked.  
"What was that noise?"  
"Oh thank god you made it." A deep sorrowful voice, but still jolly, said.  
The Doctor and Clara turned their heads and saw Santa Claus standing their.  
"Santa?" Clara asked in disbelief.  
"Ho ho ho." Santa said but it wasn't as gleeful or as realistic as it was in movies.  
"I'm guessing you're wondering why you're here?"  
"It's crossed our minds." The Doctor said sarcastically.  
The jolly old man sighed.  
"There's a problem. I've heard about you, Doctor. You've saved entire plants before. Have you ever dealt with giant mosquitos?"  
"Giant wasps, yes. Not giant mosquitos." The Doctor replied.  
"Somehow, a giant mosquito is flying around. It's sucking the life out of elves and reindeer. Oh Doctor... I have 9 dead elves and 4 dead reindeer. I'm supposed to take off in a few hours and I won't be able to get my sleigh off the ground with only 5 reindeer. Could we maybe use your TARDIS?" Santa asked, sounding helpless and fearful.

The Doctor squinted at the man with the white beard and shook his head.  
"No. No way. The TARDIS is a time machine not a delivery service."  
"Doctor please. Christmas means so much to these kids. It will crush ten if they don't get any gifts from Santa. And they've all been so good this year." Santa begged.  
Clara stood beside the Doctor, mentally cussing at his ignorance.  
"Doctor please. Will it really hurt you to just help someone else? Kids deserve to have a happy Christmas and gifts are a part of that." Clara grabbed his arm and and looked up at him.  
For a second she thought me might give in but instead he said,  
"No Clara."  
"Wow. I thought you were ignorant but this is a new low. Does it ruin your reputation of you're kind to someone?"  
The Doctor sighed. He looked at Santa, then to the elves whom some had started crying, then to Clara, who had tears in her own eyes.  
"Fine." He grunted. He crossed his arms and scowled.  
He whispered in Clara's ear, "I do t think the TARDIS will like this. She doesn't like doing nonproductive things."  
The Doctor was wrong though. When the Doctor, Clara, and a few elves snuck out of the workshop with a huge bag full of presents, the TARDIS opened the doors for them. Clara smiled. She skipped along beside the slouching Time Lord. He was dragging his feet in the snow.  
When the elves walked into the TARDIS, they were amazed by the box.  
"It's... It's bigger on the inside..." One of them exclaimed.  
"It's so Christmasy." Another elf said, touching a paper snowflake. Santa shared his exclamation by taking off his hat and wiping a tear with his gloved finger.  
"It's beautiful, Doctor."  
"Oh shut up. You act like its Buckingham Palace or the White House." The Doctor rolled his eyes at their astonishment.  
"Can the bag fit?" Clara asked the elves who were dragging the bag.  
"Hope not." The grumpy Gallifreyan muttered under his breath.  
"Doctor, shut up." Clara shot him a warning glare. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the console, and pouted.  
Somehow, the elves manages to get the huge bag in the door without breaking anything. it took all twelve elves to get it in and it took all twelve to drag it only about 4 feet so they have access to the door.  
"Now what?" Santa asked.  
Before the Doctor or Clara could answer, they heard a loud shriek coming from under the snow. The giant mosquito ascended from under the blanket of snow, only about 10 feet from the TARDIS. It spotted them and started flying towards them. It seemed to be struggling. It was swaying from side to side, like it was losing consciousness but it was still coming at them at a high speed.  
"Close the doors!" The Doctor yelled. He aimed his sonic screwdriver at the giant insect and slammed his finger down on the button. The screwdriver buzzed to life and the mosquito stopped suddenly and was pushed back. It screeched angrily.  
The two closest to the door, Clara and an elf, quickly slammed the door shut. The TARDIS jolted due to the mosquito colliding with the TARDIS.  
"It's going to get in, sir!" One of the elves yelled, hiding behind the bag of gifts.  
"Nothing can get through those doors." Clara tried to reassure them.  
The TARDIS' cloister began to ring. Church like bells rang every couple of seconds and the TARDIS' inhabitants were frozen in place.  
"W-what's the sound?" Santa stuttered.  
"The cloister bell. It rings when the TARDIS or its inhabitants are in danger." The Doctor answered. The question snapped him out of his state of shock.  
He raced around the console trying to take off. He hit the lever and the familiar groaning noise could be heard. The jolting stopped and the cloister bell silenced.  
"Have we landed?"  
"London." The Doctor muttered. "First stop, Tommy Abington, eleven years old." The Doctor told them.  
Clara grinned at the Doctor and began to help the elves grab some beautifully wrapped boxes from the bag and put them in a smaller bag for Santa.  
"Ho ho ho." The plump old man said before he left the time machine, which had landed in the little boy's living room.  
Santa got to work putting toys down under the tree. He ate the cookies and milk the child had left for him and boarded the TARDIS once more, with an empty bag thrown over his shoulder.  
The rest of the night went about the same. The TARDIS landed in the living room and Santa would put the gifts under the tree and would devour the treats the kids left him. He even let Clara do a few houses.  
The Doctor was unwilling to leave the console. He spent most of the night leaning on the console sulking in Gallifreyan. The only thing he did was pilot his time machine.  
"We should be on a different planet" he would grumble every now and then.  
Though they WERE time travelers, it seemed like only a few hours since they had left the North Pole.

Their last stop was at the house of 10 year old identical twins, Amy and Sarah Winchester.

"Come on Doctor! Just one more house! Don't be a Scrooge." Clara was trying to talk him into doing the last delivery of the night.

"No Clara. I'm a Time Lord not Santa Claus."  
Clara groaned and slapped her fore head with her palm  
"Would it kill you to be kind for just once?"  
"Will you stop complaining if I do?"  
Clara thought about this for a moment.  
"Yes."  
The Doctor grunted. He grabbed the small sack of toys and headed towards the door.  
"Wait, Doctor!" Clara called after him. She grabbed the Santa hat that the Doctor had purposely dropped on the floor, "don't forget your Christmas spirit." Clara jumped to reach and slapped the head down on top of his head.  
The hat fell to the side and the Doctor didn't even bother to fix it. He just stared at her with a disappointed expression on his face. He threw the sack over his shoulder and exited this time machine.  
He quickly got to work and put all the gifts in the sack under the Christmas tree. He could feel eyes staring at him and it felt like they were burning a hole into his soul. He cringed and quickly put the last present under the tree.  
The Doctor stood up but as he began to rise, the sonic screwdriver that was sticking out of his breast pocket got tangled in the lights that hung on the tree. He raised his eyebrows for, he had an idea. He quickly untangled the screwdriver and stood up fully.  
"Eat the cookies and milk!" Clara whispered loudly.  
The Doctor quietly moaned. He grabbed the glass of milk and drank it. He picked up the plate of cookies and stuffed 3/4 in his pocket. He walked back into the TARDIS.  
"Here," the Doctor said, handing his companion and Santa a cookie. He put the 3rd cookie in front of the elves and said "fight over it."  
Clara nibbled at the cookie, not really paying attention to it. Her eyes were following the Doctor. The old Time Lord had resumed his spot leaning on the console his head resting on his fist. He threw the red and white hat that sat on his head to Clara and she caught it.  
"Doctor?" Clara asked but did not ask a question.  
"Did anyone notice what happened when the mosquito attacked the TARDIS?" The Doctor asked.  
No one answered  
"It was swaying from side to side and at one point, it slowed down. What happens to insects when winter comes?" The Doctor said.  
"They die." Clara said.  
"Exactly. They die. Its a mosquito just bigger than usual.  
"Okay so what do we do?" Santa asked.  
"Is there another entrance?"  
"Where we keep the sled."  
"Then here's the plan."

The TARDIS landed in the workshop's storage room, where the sleigh was stored and where the reindeer were harnessed up. When the doors opened, revealing Santa, the Doctor and Clara.  
Step 1 was to head to the storage room. Done  
Once the last elf had exited the blue box, the Doctor revealed step 2.  
"I will find the mosquito and lower him into the storage room. I need 2 elves outside. Keep the doors closed. I'll knock on the door. When I do open the door and get out of the way. When the mosquito is out run in and close the doors." The Doctor told them.  
"Doctor you will never be able to out run that mosquito." Clara said.  
"The sonic screwdriver will stun it temporarily."  
Clara glanced at him. "I'm going with you them."  
"No Clara. It's safer here. Except for the 2 outside. I want you all to hide in the sled."  
Two elves volunteered to stand outside.  
"Ready?" The Doctor asked. Santa, Clara, and the remaining elves climbed into the sleigh.  
The Doctor made sure that everyone was in their positions before he jumped towards the door and spun around so his back was so the wall.  
He opened the door and turned. He made his way down the empty hall quietly. His sonic screwdriver was in his hand, ready for action.  
Ten minutes had passed and there was no sign of the mosquito. He walked into the workshop area.  
There was a new body laying near one of the machines. The skin was pale. The eyes were wide open, staring at the Doctor. The Doctor sat on his haunches and looked over the body. He estimated that it had only been there for a short time, and hour or so.  
A loud screech startled the Doctor. He shot up like a bullet. He lifted his screwdriver and pointed it in different directions. The giant insect was close but was not in sight.  
There was a screech behind him. The Doctor spun around, making himself dizzy. The mosquito was darting towards him.  
The Doctor's hearts were pounding in his chest and his breathing got caught in his throat. His blue grey eyes were wide and mouth agape. The second screech shocked the Doctor. His thumb slammed down on the button and the screwdriver whirred to life. The mosquito fell back onto the floor. The Doctor took the opportunity and began to run back to the storage room. And as predicted, the mosquito followed its continuous screeches made the Doctor aware of the distance between them. The Doctor turned around and blasted the bug again. The bug was becoming more and more aggravated.  
The Doctor was so close to the storage room. His speed increased. The mosquito was flying behind him once again. The sonic blast pushed it back again. He rounded the corner and sprinted right into the storage room.  
No more than 3 seconds later, the mosquito entered. The mosquito could only see the Doctor standing back against the wall. Trapped.  
"Shit." The Doctor said, for no reason, just out of fear. He was backed against the door. The mosquito charged towards the Doctor. The clever Time Lord knocked on the door. The doors opened and the Doctor ducked, out of the mosquitos way. Before the mosquito could react, it was out in the cold and the doors had been closed on it.  
The Doctor had his hands on his knees and he was breathing heavily.  
"Doctor you okay?" Clara called from the sled.  
The Doctor waved his hand at her as a response.  
"How long should it take before the mosquito freezes?" An elf asked.  
"Not long..." The Doctor paused to take a breath, "only a few minutes."  
There was a bang on the door.  
"You realized you just saved Christmas, right?" Clara looked at the Doctor.  
"Yeah yeah, I save a lot of things." The Doctor brushed off Clara's words.  
The Doctor and Clara were too busy talking they hadn't even noticed that Santa and his elves had left.  
Clara and the Doctor went at it for about 3 minutes but then stopped when they realized that the banging had stopped.  
"Go check on the mosquito." Clara ordered.  
"I don't take orders." The Doctor mumbled but checked anyway. He opened the door. The mosquito was laying in the snow on its side. It was completely frozen.  
"Dead." The Doctor confirmed. He closed the door.  
They headed to the room where the North Pole's inhabitants were hiding out. The Doctor knocked on the door. He could hear the scuffling and the murmuring cease. It went silent.  
"It's the Doctor and Clara."  
There's was a slight hesitation then they could hear the whispers again. The door opened.  
"The mosquito is dead." The Doctor announced. The elves cheered. The Doctor rolled his eyes.  
"Thank you Doctor! Thank you!" The elves crowded around the Doctor and his companion and shouted.  
"You're so welcome-" Clara said but the Doctor cut her off.  
"Yeah we saved the North Pole now let's go."  
"Doctor." Clara began to protest but the Doctor pulled her out.  
"Doctor wait!" Santa called after them.  
The Doctor grunted but stopped. He crossed his arms over his chest and put on his 'I am not happy' face.  
"Thank you so much, Doctor. I have nothing to reward you with but all I can guarantee that you both will always be on my nice list." Santa smiled.  
"We don't need a reward, Santa, but thank you. It's what we do." Clara said. Santa and his elves followed the Doctor and Clara back to the storage room where the TARDIS sat. The Doctor took his key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole.  
"Again, thank you Doctor and Clara." Santa said. He grabbed Clara and hugged her.  
"I'm glad we could help you save Christmas." Clara said, hugging him back. Santa let go and moved towards the Doctor but the old Time Lord took a step back.  
"Ignore him." Clara whispered before she moved towards the TARDIS and stepped in.  
"Goodbye. Have a great year!" Santa called after them before Clara closed the door.  
The Doctor was already standing at the console ready to take off.  
"Come on now Doctor! You have to admit that was fun." Clara said.  
"Not really. That isn't danger that I like."  
"How did that mosquito even get here?" Clara asked.  
"I don't know and I don't really care. But it's all over." The Doctor said. He pulled the lever and the TARDIS whooshed and groaned. They took off and we're ready for a new adventure.

 **A/N: Merry Christmas! I haven't been on in a while. my PC had a virus and I had to clear everything. and then Microsoft word decided that I had to log in and buy Microsoft 365 to make a document. anyway, I hope you all have an amazing holiday!**


End file.
